Spray apparatus



April 3, 1962 H. G. SCHIRMER SPRAY APPARATUS Filed July 5, 195'? aINVENTOR ,li/wer 6-. .fa/MWER ATT R N EY l Henry G. Schirmer,

tern sprayed.

United States Patent 3,927,870 SPRAY APPARATUS Flushing, N.Y., assignorto Personal Products Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey Filed July5, 1957, Ser. No. 679,988 12 Qlairns. ((31. 1l8--504) This inventionrelates to spray devices and more particularly to devices forcontrolling and confining the spray and the spray patterns of sprayingapparatus, such as spray guns.

in a typical spraying operation, the liquid to be sprayed is forcedthrough a jet or nozzle under pressure which breaks it down into finelydivided particles so that it emerges from the nozzle in a mist-likeform. Because it is in a finely divided state, and under pressure, notall of the liquid emerging from the nozzle is deposited on the surfaceto be sprayed. Some of its bounces back from the surface and escapesinto the surrounding atmosphere. Another part drifts off and isdeposited on other surfaces adjacent the surface being sprayed where itcollects. In many instances, these incidents of spraying are undesirablebecause a variety of spraying operations require controlled applicationof the sprayed liquid to the surface sprayed. In some cases, it may benecessary to apply the sprayed liquid over the surface uniformly; inothers, to apply the sprayed liquid to the surface in a partcularpattern as, for example a line or broad .band with sharply definededges; and in still others, the spraying operation may require rapidremoval of any excess sprayed liquid to avoid dripping and spattering.

In attempts to overcome these problems, hoods and similar devices havebeenused to confine and control the spray particularly when the sprayingis being performed in closed areas. Although the uSe of hoods hasaidedin overcoming some of the problems, others remain. For example, thehoods themselves have surfaces upon which some of the sprayed liquid maydeposit, collect and then drip off. This is particularly troublesomewhen the surface being sprayed is positioned below the spray nozzle;e.g., Where the spraying operation involves spraying a horizontalsurface. The liquid which has collectedon the hood surfaces may fallupon the surface being sprayed. When the spraying operation involves theuse of a mask or stencil to define a sprayed pattern of particular form,or the operation involves the applicationof the liquid .sprayed incontrolled amounts, it is apparent that such dripping must be avoided.

' effectively removed :before it accumulates in such quantities as willresult in its dripping on the surface sprayed. A partcularlysuitabledevice of this nature would provide for rapid removal of thispart of the spray.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device for confining andcollecting surplus sprayed liquid resulting from spraying operations. Itis another object of this invention to provide a hood which can be usedin spraying operations to confine the sprayed liquid. It isstill anotherobject of this inventionto provide a device which also canbe used as amask or stencil for defining thepat- It is a still further object ofthis invention to provide a device .which canbe employed in sprayingoperations involving spraying horizontal surfaces to preventdripping ofthe sprayed liquid on suchsur-faces.

' Other 'andfurther objects of-the invention will become.apparentt'froma consideration of the attaehed;; drawing 3,927,870Patented Apr. 3, l92

and the following specification wherein a preferred embodiment isillustrated and described.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is a perspective view of devices incorporating the invention usedwith a conventionalspray nozzle;

FIG. 2 is a view of the interior of the device illustrated in FIG. 1,along line 2- 2;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of FIG. 1 taken alongline 33;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, of FIG. 3showing certain parts thereof in greater detail; and

KG. 5 is a diagrammatic view in elevation of the device in use in acontinuous spraying operation.

Referring to the drawings wherein like characters denote similar partsthroughout the several views, there is shown a spray nozzle 1 ofconventional form through which the liquid to be sprayed is forced underair pressure positioned within a hollow casing or hood 2. The hood maybe attached to the'nozzle, if desired, to provide a mobile unit.

In the embodiment illustrated, the hood is in the shape of a hollow,inverted, truncated pyramid having four Walls 3 converging downwardlytowards each other and meeting to define a rectangular opening 4 throughwhich a liquid 5 from the spray nozzle is discharged on to the surfacebeing sprayed. The hood may be of a variety'of forms, as, for example,an oval, a truncated cone, or a polyhedron of other configuration. i

A the liquids is discharged from the spray nozzle in the form of finelydivided particles, it passes through the opening 4- at the bottom of thehood defined by the lower peripheral edges of the converging walls 3 andis deposited upon the surface below to be sprayed. Because it is in afinely divided state, and under pressure, not all of the liquid ejectedfrom the spray nozzle is deposited on the surface being sprayed. Some ofit escapes into the surrounding atmosphere; another part bounces backfrom the surface'being sprayed and collects upon the hood, nozzle andother adjacent surfaces of the apparatus. Some of the sprayed liquidcollects on the inner surfaces of walls 3 and then rolls downwardlytowards the bottom edges of the walls towards the opening 4. Whensulficient amounts of the sprayed liquid have collected on thesesurfaces, it will drip onto the surfaces being sprayed below.

This problem is accentuated when the hood is also being used as a maskor stencil to define the pattern to be sprayed, as for example inconnection with apparatus similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5. Whenthe hood is being used in this manner, it is necessary that the spray 5discharged from the nozzle be larger than the opening 4 in the hood sothat spray will fill the opening as it passes through. Consequently, theedges of spray will strike directly upon the inner surfaces of the walls3 of the hood and a considerable amount of the liquid' will collectrapidly on the walls. It is apparent that this liquid'm'ust be removedquickly and effectively In accordance with the invention, sprayed liquidwhich collects on the walls of the hood and other a'djacentfsurfaces andwhich rolls down to the bottom edges of the hood is collected byproviding porous hollow members 6, such as a perforated tube, on thebottom edgesof'the hood walls into which the liquid may be drawn'bysuction. The invention also contemplates the use of a 'wicking member 7,as will be more fully'explained below, positioned on the bottom parts ofthe apparatus to hold liquid and to conduct it to openings 8 in thehollow member by capillarity where it is drawn into the interior of'the'hollow member by the, suction.

Asillustrated in the drawing, these structural arrangements and theadvantagesfollowing therefrom may be obtained by attaching a porous,hollow member, such as a tube, to the bottom edges of the hood walls atthe opening 4 through which the sprayed liquid is discharged. If theopening is rectangular shaped, as illustrated, or of similar form, eachside may be provided with a separate tube and all tubes connected toeach other to form a continuous passageway around the opening. If theopening is circular or oval or of a similar form, one continuous tube oflike shape may be used. The tubes 6 are connected to return tubes 9which conduct the collected liquid to a master return tube 10 for returnto the system for reuse, or to storage, or to waste, as desired.

The openings 8 in the tubes 6 are preferably on the surface of the tubesfacing towards the interior of the hood so that the liquid rolling downthe inner surface of the hood walls will be quickly drawn through theopenings into the tube by the suction. These openings may be a series ofports extending the length of the tubes, a thin, longitudinal slot or ofother suitable forms. The hollow member may be a porous ceramic tile orof similar material. The openings in the tube should be sufficientlylarge to permit the liquid to enter the tube readily, but not so largethat it would be diificult or uneconomical to maintain adequate suctionto draw the liquid into the interior of the tubes.

As the sprayed liquid is ejected from the spray nozzle, some of itdeposits on the inner surface of the walls of the hood. When sufiicientamounts of it have collected, it rolls downwardly towards the loweredges of the hood. When the rolling liquid contacts the openings 8 inthe tubes 6, it is drawn into the interior thereof by the suction intothe return tubes 9.

Some of the sprayed liquid, including pan of that which bounces backfrom the surface being sprayed and that which has escaped into thesurrounding atomsphere, collects on the bottom edges 11 of the tube.This liquid will not be drawn into the tubes by the applied suction ifit does not contact the tube openings. Consequently, it will collect anddrip from the tubes. This is also true of liquid which collects on theouter surfaces of the tubes and adjacent surfaces of the hood walls. Inaccordance with the invention, the liquid which collects on thesesurfaces can be drawn into the tubes by the suction by employing anelement which acts as a wick to pick up this liquid and conduct it tothe tube openings.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawings, wicking element may extendfrom adjacent the lower inner edges of the hood walls 3 downwardly overthe openings 8 in the tubes 6, around the bottom of the tube and thenupwardly a short distance along the outer surfaces of the walls. It isnot necessary, however, that the wicking element cover the openings inthe tubes; it may extend to the edges of the openings or in suchproximity to the openings to bring liquid held by it under the influenceof the suction to enable the suction to draw the liquid through theopenings into the tubes. The wicking material may be applied to the walland tube surfaces by means of an adhesive, hooking devices, snaps, pins,or in any other suitable manner. Any suitable material which providesthe wicking-like action may be used. A number of plies of woven textilefabric such as gauze or a nonwoven fabric are suitable because they maybe quickly replaced, if necessary. Liquid which contacts the wickingelement will be retained by the element by virtue of its capillaryproperties and will be conducted to the openings in the tubes under theinfluence of the applied suction.

In FIG. 5, the device is shown in use in connection with an operationinvolving spraying the surface of a horizontally moving web. A web 12 offibers is fed from a feed roll 13 to an endless supporting belt 14 underthe spray nozzle 1 and then to a driven take-up roll 15. The hood 2 isplaced above the web a sufiicient height to permit the web to movefreely below The spray nozzle is directed downwardly towards the uppersurface of the web and is positioned inside the hood so that the spraywill be confined within the hood as it passes through to the web below.Liquid sprayed from the nozzle is discharged through the opening in thebottom of the hood and is deposited upon the upper surface of the webmoving below.

In the illustration, the hood is also used as a mask. The opening in thebottom of the hood is positioned over the center of the web so that thepattern which is sprayed upon the web will be limited to the centerportion and so that the edges of the web will be unsprayed. To insurethat the sprayed liquid is deposited on the web evenly and in uniformconcentrations, it is necessary for the spray to pass through theopening in the hood in regular and in uniform concentrations. To thisend, the'spray pattern from the spray nozzle and the position of thenozzle in the hood is regulated so that edges 16 of the spray strike theinner surface of the converging walls of the hood. Consequently, a largeamount of the sprayed liquid accumulates rapidly upon these surfaces androlls downwardlly towards the bottom edges of the hood. When the sprayedliquid contacts the wicking element, it is picked up by the element, asbest seen in FIG. 4, and directed to the openings in the tubingpositioned around the hood opening. It is drawn into the interior oftubes 6 by the suction and then passes from the tubes to the collectingtubes 9 communicating therewith. The pattern sprayed upon the surface ofthe moving web is in the form of a continuous band.

In the example, water is lightly sprayed in the form of a fine mist upona web under two pounds of pressure through a hood having an opening oneand three-eighth inches square. The sprayed area is a continuous bandone and three-eighth inches wide. Copper tubes, one and three-eighthinches long having an outside diameter of one-quarter inch and an insidediameter of threesixteenth inch is attached to each side of the hoodopening. Each tube has eight aligned holes, one-eighth inch in diameter,equally placed throughout its length. The tubes are positioned so thatthe line of holes face towards the center of the hood opening. Each tubeis covered with a wicking element consisting of absorbent cotton fabricsheeting. The amount of suction applied to draw the excess sprayedliquid into the tubes is ad justed as required.

The device may be used in spraying operations which are intermittentinstead of continuous. For example, the Web of material to be sprayedmay be moving intermittently and the surface of the web directly belowthe spray nozzle and the hood sprayed each time the web is halted in itsmovement. In this manner there may be provided on the web patterns ofdifferent configurations in a repeating fashion depending upon theconfiguration of the opening in the hood.

The hood may be attached to the spraying apparatus, or to a mobile spraygun, so that the entire assembly may be moved freely; or it may beattached to other parts of the equipment with which it is used.

It is to be appreciated that the invention is not limited to thespecific forms illustrated and described above and that changes may bemade without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hollow casinghaving an opening through which the spray from the spray nozzle isdischarged from within said casing onto an object positioned beyond saidopening, the walls of said casing adjacent said opening convergingthereon, said opening defining the spray pattern discharged, capillarymeans at the said opening for collecting excess sprayed liquid, andmeans for removing collected sprayed liquid from said capillary means.

2. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hollow casinghaving an opening through which the spray from the spray nozzle isdischarged from within said casing onto an object positioned beyond saidopening, the walls of said casing adjacent said opening convergingthereon, said opening defining the spray pattern discharged, and meansat said opening for collecting excess sprayed liquid, said means havingcapillary openings in the direction of said casing opening through whichsaid sprayed liquid may be drawn by suction.

3. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood having anopening through which the spray from the spray nozzle is discharged fromwithin said hood onto an object positioned beyond said opening, means atsaid opening for collecting excess sprayed liquid, and means forconducting said excess liquid to said collecting means by capillarityand under suction applied to said collecting means.

4. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood having anopening through which the spray from the spray nozzle is discharged fromwithin said hood onto an object positioned beyond said opening, thewalls of said hood adjacent said opening converging thereon, saidopening defining the spray pattern discharged, means at said opening forcollecting excess sprayed liquid, and means for conducting said excessliquid to said collecting means by capillarity and under suction appliedto said collecting means.

5. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood having anopening through which the spray from the spray nozzle is discharged fromwithin said hood onto an object positioned beyond said opening, porous,hollow members attached to said hood at the edge of said opening forcollecting excess sprayed liquid, and means for conducting said excessliquid to said hollow members by capillarity and under suction appliedto said members.

6. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood having anopening through which the spray from the spray nozzle is discharged fromwithin said hood onto an object positioned beyond said opening, hollowmembers attached to said hood at the edge of said opening for collectingexcess sprayed liquid, said members having openings into the interiorthereof, and a wicking element covering said openings and adjacentsurfaces of said members and said hood for conducting said excess liquidto said openings by capillarity and under suction applied to saidmembers.

7. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood having anopening through which the spray from the spray nozzle is discharged fromwithin said hood onto an object positioned beyond said opening, hollowmembers attached to said hood at said opening for collecting excesssprayed liquid, said members having openings into the interior thereof,and a wicking element adjacent said openings and on adjacent surfaces ofsaid hood for conducting said excess liquid to said openings bycapillarity and under suction applied to said members.

8. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood havingconverging walls which meet to define an opening through which the sprayfrom the spray nozzle is discharged from within said hood onto an objectpositioned beyond said opening, tubes attached to said hood at the edgeof said opening for collecting excess sprayed liquid, said tubes havingopenings into the interior thereof, and a wicking element covering saidopenings and adjaeent surfaces of said tubes and said hood forconducting said excess liquid to said tube openings by capillarity andunder suction applied to said tubes.

9. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood havingconverging walls which meet to define an opening through which the sprayfrom the spray nozzle is discharged from within said hood onto an objectpositioned beyond said opening, tubes attached to said walls at the edgeof said opening for collecting excess sprayed material, said tubeshaving ports throughout their length into the interior thereof, and anabsorbent wicking element covering said ports and adjacent surfaces ofsaid tubes and said hood for conducting said excess liquid to said tubeports by capillarity and under suction applied to said tubes.

10. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood having anopening through which the spray from the spray nozzle is discharged fromwithin said hood onto an object positioned beyond said opening, saidopening defining the spray pattern discharged, means at said opening forcollecting excess sprayed liquid, and an absorbent fabric on said meansand adjacent surfaces of said hood for conducting said excess liquid tosaid collecting means by capillarity and under suction applied to saidcollecting means.

11. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood having agenerally pyramidal shaped chamber with an opening at the apex throughwhich the spray from the spray nozzle is discharged from within saidhood onto an object positioned beyond said opening, tubes attached tosaid hood at the edge of said opening for collecting excess sprayedliquid, said tubes having openings into the interior thereof, and awicking element covering said openings and adjacent surfaces of saidtubes and said hood for conducting said excess liquid to said tubeopenings by capillarity and under suction applied to said tubes.

12. For use with a spray nozzle, a device comprising a hood having agenerally pyramidal shaped chamber with an opening at the apex throughwhich the spray from the spray nozzle is discharged from within saidhood onto an object positioned beyond said opening, hollow members atthe edge of said opening, said members having openings into the interiorthereof, and an absorbent fabric covering said openings and adjacentsurfaces of said members and said hood for conducting said excess liquidto said openings, by capillarity and under suction applied to saidmembers.

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